According to an anti-gay US pundit, Peter LaBarbera, men “turn” gay for cheap orgasms. In addition, LaBarbera has also accused the President of being obsessed with gays. LaBarbera has some kind of radio show somewhere on the fringes and he’s been getting attention lately with David Manning, another homophobic minister with a TV show somewhere out there in oblivion, by attacking gays.

LaBarbera said he thinks homosexuals are not ‘real men’, because they cannot be bothered to date, marry and have children with a woman so instead they choose the easier gay life. ‘I think homosexuality is one sense offers to men, if I can say this on your program, it offers the cheap orgasm,’ he said.‘It’s a lot harder to be a man, a real man and have a family, court a woman, marry a woman, have children, raise a family.’

His comments are so painfully dumb I almost feel bad for him. He clearly knows nothing about gay men, because if he did he’d never makes statements like that. We court, we marry, and we do all the rest. And we’ve been doing all this long before same sex marriage became a topic. Even more interesting, many gay men who didn’t come out of the closet for various social reasons actually did date women and all those other things LaBarbera mentions. In fact, I know several who are married and raising families right now…married to women. It’s not all that uncommon.

I’m actually posting about Joan Rivers again because I think she’s a master at getting attention and promotion. I respect her and admire her for many reasons. I love her wit and humor. I’m not always sure her way is the best way to go about it. But I think it’s interesting that she’s become so vocal lately on such hot topics right around the same time she has a brand new book out.

In any event, Rivers is now going after Chaz and Sonny Bono in her unending quest to get attention. She seems to think it’s funny. I guess she’s forgotten how all those Elizabeth Taylor jokes in the 80’s backfired on her, especially when Taylor lost all the weight and lashed out at Rivers in defense.

Rivers spoke with host Marc Lamont Hill when she held up a Ken doll (of the Barbie line) and pointed out that the doll does not have male genitalia. ‘Ken I think, unfortunately … I found out to be Chaz Bono,’ Rivers said as Hill dissolved into laughter. Said Hill: ‘You’re saying Ken has a vagina?’ Rivers: ‘Ken is good looking but nothing at home.’ Rivers then slammed Sonny Bono, and went on to comment in her own defense in what sounds like a quest to redeem herself:

You don’t make jokes about people no one knows.Duh! The point I’m focusing on is that regardless of what anyone thinks about all this old time trash humor, Rivers is getting the best free attention. I’m not knocking her for that. I just wish she went about it in a slightly different way.

But, of course, I think the main thing to remember here is that I like to think Rivers thinks in terms of comedy first…whether we agree with that or not.

I find this article both inspiring and courageous because it’s not a position Tony and I would ever be in because we’ve always avoided places like this swimming pool in Ohio. I’m not saying that’s a good thing on our part either. We grew up in a time when guys like LaBarbera condemned us and women of WTF-ery like Joan Rivers treated us like pet poodles. But A lesbian couple isn’t taking anymore shit, and they are basically fighting city hall in order to get some kind of family law rewritten so they can get discounted passes to a public pool.

For the past nine years, Melody Mohn and her children have made regular use of the Heise Park Pool in Galion, Ohio. This year, in an effort to save money, she applied for a family pass – to cover herself, her four children and same-sex partner, Hela Young. However, when she called the YMCA in charge of managing the pool, she was informed that a family is defined as ‘mother, father, and three children.’ Her request was therefore denied.

In this 113,000 word gay romance, when bad boy male stripper, Ethan, and quiet academic, Travis, first meet at the storied Iowa Writers’ Workshop in l990 neither one of them know this unusual relationship will consume the next twenty years of their lives…even as their lives change, they meet new people, and they each take different paths as career writers. Ten years later, Travis is a well-respected author in the LGBT community who is up for a prestigious literary award and Ethan is still a struggling gay erotic romance author writing short stories for small LGBT presses. But all this is about to change when Ethan soon becomes famous for a gay romance that Travis thinks is quite possibly the worst book ever written. As Ethan’s mainstream writing career progresses and he’s dubbed the Small Town Billionaire Author, Travis’s career moves forward in more subtle, literary ways. Although there are times when Travis is jealous of Ethan’s fame and fortune, he’s found the young man he thinks is the love of his life and nothing else matters. In fact, his life seems perfect…until tragedy strikes and leaves him with nowhere to turn but to Ethan. Years after that, both Ethan and Travis have evolved in many ways as men and authors. They also find themselves in situations they hadn’t predicted, and the tables have turned on them. Their long-lasting, unusual relationship is challenged once again when Ethan is up for the same award Travis won twenty years earlier, and this time it’s either going to make them or break them.

Author of over 100 published LGBT romance novels and stories, including AN OFFICER AND HIS GENTLEMAN and best selling VIRGIN BILLIONAIRE SERIES. Hates beets.
New Hope, PA Palm Springs, CA
ryan-field.blogspot.com